Exam 13: Weather Forecasting

Because the many weather variables are constantly changing, meteorologists have devised atmospheric models that describe the present state of the atmosphere. These are not physical models that paint a picture of a developing storm; they are, rather, mathematical models consisting of many equations that describe how atmospheric temperature, pressure, winds, and moisture will change with time.

A forecast of "precipitation likely" means the probability of precipitation is ____.

Probably the easiest weather forecast to make is a statistical forecast.

List the organizations involved in the accumulation of weather data, and explain their respective roles.

A blocking high is a ____.

A weather watch would probably be issued for which of the following conditions?

Thickness charts help forecasters ____.

A type of dynamic instability known as ____________________ develops from the deepening of an upper trough as the result of high wind speeds, cold air moving southward, warm air moving northward, and a shortwave moving into a longwave trough.

Which of the following is the least likely to be a forecaster's rule of thumb?

If low clouds at an elevation of 3000 ft above you are moving from the southeast, and clouds about 8000 ft higher are moving from the southwest, ____________________ advection is taking place between the cloud layers.

How does a prog differ from an analysis?

The process of electronically superimposing weather information in the TV camera against a blank wall is called color-separation overlay, or ____________________.

In the short-range weather forecasts of this chapter, we assumed that the pressure systems and fronts were ____.

____ tend(s)to steer the movement of surface pressure systems.

An accurate forecast ____.

These days the precise location where a tornado will form can be predicted up to seven days in advance.

Suppose that in a summer afternoon, you observe cumulus clouds with limited vertical growth and with tops at just about the same level. Your local weather forecast should be which of the following?

Pattern recognition is the common term for what is known as the ____________________ method.

For many companies, seasonal outlooks are even more important than day-to-day forecasts.

A downside of high-resolution models is that, as the horizontal spacing between grid points decreases, the number of computations increases. When the distance is halved, there are 8 times as many computations to perform, and the time (and computational expense)required to run the model goes up by a factor of 16.